Financial Tribune: An official with Iran’s Health Ministry has called for serious intervention by authorities to curb coronavirus transmissions, as the country’s large cities reported a third wave of infections. Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi on Tuesday said interventions to stem the spread of the deadly virus should be systematic and any flaw in that system could double the number of deaths in the second year of the epidemic, ISNA reported. Referring to the World Health Organization’s call for global intervention, the deputy said Iran will continue to “observe safety measures, including facemask wearing, contact tracing and carrying out diagnostic tests” to break the chain of transmission.
Alireza Zali, the head of Tehran’s Coronavirus Taskforce, took one step farther and said “military intervention” is required during epidemics. “Of course, I do not mean we should treat people violently. But recommendations and suggestions are no longer enough,” Zali said. There is mounting concern over the concurrence of the H1N1 and Covid-19 epidemics over the next six months. Pointing to a challenging autumn and winter ahead, Harirchi said the country has begun to vaccinate healthcare workers, pregnant women and high-risk groups against influenza. Despite the delay in importing flu shots, Health Minister Saeed Namaki reassured the public that they are aiming to vaccine one-fifth of the population.